AndyFcum said:
Oh and by the way, read the professional ecological reports with your glasses on next time. Much as I like Moston, I can't remember when I last saw David Attenborough mooching around there. There are no water voles and the bats will be fine, it's official.
Trying to find the water voles details, but for now feast your eyes on this professional ecological report with your Spec Saver glasses on, AndyFCUM.
For the record, FCUM - who had council funding to fund research - paid for a bat expert to examine the area for
ONE NIGHT only.
Local Moston residents had a whip round to have our own independent bat expert in the fields / woods for
THREE NIGHTS.
Here is part of his comparative findings, with relevant sentences in
bold. Having read this, do you still think the bats will be OK, AndyFCUM?
This report was completely ignored during the planning meeting.
7.0 Discussion
It’s very clear from both reports that the development site has a significant number of Pipeistrelle bats that reside on it and actively use it for foraging. Whilst all British bats are and their roost sites are protected under British and European legislation and it is a “Material Condition” in any planning determinations. What is less clear is the protection of the habitat where their food resources are found. Removal of which, reduces the amount of food available to any given population and is likely over time to reduce any such populations.
“A given area only supports a given number!”
Degradation of the foraging habitat by replacing it with concrete, steel and tarmac will not provide the habitat where the food resources will flourish.
It is the stated policy of Manchester City Council in Biodiversity Policy that it will “Protect and where possible enhance the biodiversity of the City.”
It’s hard to see how this policy will fit with this development, when much of the known foraging habitat will disappear under car parking, ancillary services and the stadium.
7.1 It’s proposed in FC Utd Ecological Report (FCU ER) that in mitigation to retain the bats present on the site, bat boxes be installed around the site to encourage them to remain. Whilst not disagreeing that the placement of bat boxes is a good idea, as it general is, both reports did not find any bat roosts currently on the site. Both coming to the conclusion that the roost must be elsewhere, but very close to the site due to the very early time in the evening they appear on the site. It is the considered opinion of the author of this report that the roost is in the roof space of one of the older houses that back onto the site.
7.2 What FC United Ecological Report fails to acknowledge is that the foraging habitat is not confined to just the tree line as suggested by it. But the vast majority of the bats on the site forage far wider than this, covering much of the site and the grassed/herbage areas in particular.
This anomaly may be as result of the “snapshot” survey carried out over just one night in late May. Whereas, a more diligent survey would have found more consistent results with this more detailed survey and report.
7.3 It’s also clear that FC United Ecological Report did not survey the grassed/herbage areas to ascertain the food resource available on the site for the bats to feed on.
As to why this wasn’t carried out to give a holistic picture of the site, one can only speculate on.
7.4 Under the proposals, it’s proposed to install 1 artificial synthetic pitch. This is again a questionable move, given the area is foraged by ground feeding birds, which feed on ground dwelling beetles and worms. Lapwings another species in decline, have been noted during the winter months foraging the pitch areas.
The nearest night time winter roost of lapwings (up to 30 birds) is on the roof of what was the Focus DIY Store Reliance St, off Oldham Rd Newton Heath. 750 m away as the crow flies from the site.
8.0 Other Comments
On the northwest edge of the development site (Lightbowne Rd) there is a well established hawthorn hedge of over 30 years growth, some of which will be lost under this development to create an entrance and exit point for the whole of the site.
Such hedges in Manchester are rare and a priority species under the Biodiversity Strategy for the city. They provide excellent nesting habitat for birds such as Bullfinch, Tree Sparrows, Song Thrush, and many other hedge nesting birds, all of which are in decline nationally.
It is therefore questionable given the age, thickness and priority species status of this hedge, whether removing any of it is acceptable under that policy.
